Desert Rose
by Ladytiger47
Summary: Crack Parairings RULEZ. Okay, I'm a huge Naruhina fan so it really hurt me to what I did to Hinata in the story but she finds love again under unusual circumstances. Completed.
1. Why is love so cruel

Desert Rose-Chapter One

"Come on guys, we can't keep Gaara waiting" the well-known hyper-active blonde said as he and his 4-man ANBU team made their way to Suna.

"Slow down, Naru-Kit" a feminine voice with an animal mask of a rabbit said, trying to catch up with him and the rest of the group.

"No way, Blossom, it must be important if he asked for us for specifically" looking at the others in the group. Sakura, whose code name was Blossom (yea I know, real original), sighed as she and the other two members used more chakra to finally join Naruto at his side who was bounding off faster over the hot sand.

"She has a point, dickless" the person behind a rat mask said.

"We don't have nearly as much chakra as you so slow down a bit."

Naruto growled as his second comrade/friend Sai called him that stupid nickname he always hated.

"Shut up Artist and stop calling me that" he responded with a blush hidden behind his fox mask and a hawk-faced woman giggled and blushed, although no one could see it, as she heard the nickname Sai gave Naruto. "Ignore him Gentle" Naruto said as he slowed down for the others to catch up and looked at the hawk mask. Squeezing her hand, he smiled behind his mask, knowing the byakugan-using Hinata could see him as they neared Suna. "You're okay, Gentle?" Naruto asked softly as he noticed she didn't so much as look in his direction let alone acknowledge he was even there.

"I'm fine" Hinata replied in a quiet voice that everybody noticed lack the usual happiness around Naruto.

"Is everything alright between you and Naruto, Hinata?" Sakura said joining Hinata who let go of Naruto's hand.

"Yes, everything is fine" she repeated as she started to walk a little faster so no one would see the tears leaking out from under her mask.

'_Why Naruto-kun, why did you have to betray my love like that?'_ Hinata thought as she remembered the day Naruto broke her heart when he claimed he loved someone else.

_*Flashback*_

"Hinata, can I talk to you for a second?" Naruto called out as walked over to the training grounds where Hinata and her former team just got through with training.

"Uh, su-sure Naruto-k-kun." Hinata stammered out as she blushed her way over to Naruto.

"Huh, you think he finally figured out Hinata's feelings for him?" Kiba managed to whisper in his usual loud voice earning him a hand over his mouth by Kurenai while Shino stayed quiet and motionless. Thankfully the two didn't hear him as they walked a little further away for privacy.

"Hinata, I been having…feelings for someone but I don't how to tell them. I mean she is really sweet, strong, and brave but she is way above my level and her family is feared by a lot of people. What should I do?" Naruto asked, looking Hinata straight in the eyes as she began to silently cheer in her mind.

'_NARUTO-KUN LIKES ME, OH MY, YES I FINALLY…' _

"Well, first you should let her know how you truly feel about her and why you actually like her. Then if given the chance, maybe get to know each other and warm up to her family. Then her family will grow to love you and accept you dating her" Hinata said clearly, growing out of her stuttering phase except for the occasional stutter around a certain blonde. Naruto's eyes grew bright with understanding and knowledge. Nodding, he quickly hugged Hinata and thanked her for the information.

"Y-you're wel-welcome Naruto-kun. So, who i-is the lu-lucky girl you're t-talking about?" Hinata asked shyly waiting to hear the words that would change her world forever.

"Oh, the girl I like is none other than…"

Shino, Kiba, and Kurenai watch as Naruto hug Hinata and answer something back to her.

"The knucklehead is really dense. It's about time he-" Kiba started by was soon quiet when he heard Akamaru whine and look up at him with sad eyes. "Huh, what's the matter Akamaru?" he asked as Akamaru started answering in barks and growls.

"Something isn't right? Hinata is crying of sorrow. WHAT?"

The team turned in time to see Hinata's knees give out as they saw her shoulders shake and her pounding her fist on the ground. Naruto was nowhere in sight. Kurenai was the first one over to the heart-broken kunoichi.

"Hinata what's wrong, why are you crying?" In between sobs, Hinata manage to get out what Naruto had told her.

"N-Naruto-kun….loves….T-T-Temari from…SUNA"

Hinata then curled up in a ball and cried all her pain and sorrow out as Kiba and Akamaru mysteriously disappeared to find and mutilate a certain fox vessel.

_*end of flashback*_

'_Naruto-kun was saved from their wrath as his former team was summoned for a mission to Suna. Oh why couldn't I have been left behind but Gaara-san say he needed help locating something big and Neji-niisan is out on a mission. Oh I hope Kiba doesn't tell Neji niisan about this or anybody else. I don't think Naruto-kun will be able to live through it.'_

"Gentle, GENTLE" someone screamed her ANBU name, making her snap out of the flashback.

"Yes, what is it? Are we under attack?" she said, looking around with her byakugan but not seeing anything.

"No, we're almost to Suna so let's stay focus until we meet Gaara, okay?" Naruto said a weird note in his voice as meeting Gaara wasn't his true motive.

'_He must be looking forward to seeing Temari' _Hinata thought bitterly as they made their way to the Suna gates where the guards were waiting for them.

"Halt, state your purpose."

Not saying a word, Naruto handed them a letter which they read, nodded, handed back and told them to go to the Kazekage Tower. Nodding, the group followed by Suna's own ANBU made their way to the tower where many surprises were waiting for them. Kankuro and Gaara were waiting for them outside the tower where each had a frown upon their faces as they noticed the four masked ninjas approaching.

"So you are the four best ninjas in Konoha to come help us?" Kankuro stated as he looked at the animal masked faces staring back at him while the group tried hard to laugh at Kankuro's expression. Sai was the one to answer because the group knew their voices would give them away too soon.

"Yes, so don't underestimate us just because we're young."

Nodding, Kankuro then led the four ANBU ninjas to a door that was closed tightly as the sound of shuffling came from behind it. Knocking three times, all noise inside the room stopped, and the sound of the doorknob turning showed Gaara with a grim look on his face. He gave a small smile as he noticed Kankuro and then looked behind him at the four animal masks.

"It's nice to see you again…Naruto" Gaara said letting the group in as he closed the door and looked at them.

"How did you know it was me so easily?" Naruto asked as he took of his mask and showed his naturally goofy grin plastered on his face.

"You're the only one who would wear a fox mask." Gaara pointed out as the group laughed at the obviousness of the situation.

"So, I'm guessing the rest are friends of yours huh?" Kankuro laugh surprised he didn't realize that was Naruto in the beginning. Nodding, Naruto told the other to take off their mask as Sakura, Sai, and Hinata's faces came into view. "You I recognize" Kankuro said, pointing to Sakura, "but who are the other two?"

Naruto then introduced Sai and Hinata who said it was a pleasure meeting them. As everybody put their mask away, they failed to notice the look on Gaara's face as he looked at a particularly shy woman who seemed to have an aura of sadness around her.

"So Gaara, why did you ask for us anyway? Also someone is missing…hey, where is Temari?" Naruto asked snapping Gaara out of his thoughts to look at the eager blonde. The group all noticed the sad looks on Kankuro's and Gaara's face when Temari's name was mentioned. "Is she okay?" Naruto asked worried something bad happened to her. Sakura and Sai raised an eyebrow at the unusual concerned heard in his voice and looked at Hinata who was stone-faced and not saying a word.

'_Something not right between those two…I will find out later_' Sakura thought as she listened to Kankuro's excuse for being sad.

"Temari is greatly ill. She went out on solo mission to retrieve a stolen package from Suna, but along the way back she was stung by something and is having hard time breathing and moving. We don't know what kind of poison it is or what attacked her, but at the rate she is going…she won't have much time left."

Hinata gasped as Naruto's face lost all color as he heard that Temari might die soon.

"Can't your medics do ANYTHING for her?" Naruto yelled making everybody jump except Gaara at his loud outburst.

"Are you okay, Naruto?" Sakura asked eyes narrow as she noticed that Hinata yet to say a word or make a sound. Realizing he was yelling, he calmed down and said everything was alright. Kankuro sighed and said that the medics were doing everything they could but weren't as skilled as some of Konoha's medics.

"That's why we asked for a medic on the team" he said looking at Sakura. Nodding, Sakura asked where Temari was at so she could go examine her, thinking in the back of her mind to ask Hinata what was going on between Naruto and Temari. Kankuro and Gaara then led the Sakura and the rest to a room where Temari was occupied with almost all the medics in Suna. Temari was lying in bed with monitors and medics surrounding her when the group entered the room.

"Hey everybody" she said weakly before going into a coughing fit that drew Sakura and Naruto to her bed site within seconds.

"What happened out there?" Sakura asked as she started scanning Temari to see the length of the damage. As Temari was explaining to Sakura what happened, Sai started to draw the desert life outside while Hinata looked at the worried expression etched on Gaara's face.

'_I have never seen Gaara-san so sad before. It's weird but I actually want go over there and comfort him. To tell him everything will be okay…what's wrong with me?'_ Hinata thought as tuned back in to the conversation between Temari and Sakura.

"-all of a sudden I felt a sharp pain in my leg and started to feel dizzy. I looked down and saw something scuttle away beneath the sand. That's when I made my way quickly back to Suna where the effects of an unknown poison began to take its course. By the next day, my body was paralyzed and I couldn't move."

Hinata looked at Naruto and noticed how tense he was as if imagining finding the creature that this to Temari and tearing it to shreds. When Sakura got through with her scan, she held a sad frown on her face and shook her head.

"This poison is way more advanced than anything I ever saw. I believe it to be some kind of scorpion poison but I don't know any antidotes-"

"SO WHAT YOU'RE SAYING IS THERE IS NOTHING YOU CAN DO!" Naruto yelled at the pink-haired kunoichi who was actually scared at the enraged look in Naruto's eyes. While everybody in the room tried to calm down Naruto, Hinata was fighting internally with herself on whether she should help or not.

'_If I help I lose Naruto-kun forever to Temari, but if I don't help I get Naruto-kun but at the cost…'_

Hinata looked again at Gaara who was staring at his sister with sad eyes, that's when Hinata knew what she had to do. "I-I know a cure that might help" Hinata spoke up, making the room go quiet.

"Really?" Naruto asked, hope shining in his eyes as tears tried to fill Hinata's but she willed them back.

"Yes, it's a flower that is known for getting rid of toxin in the body with its pollen, but we must hurry for we need to get the pollen before the flower opens up and scatter the pollen to the wind.

"What's the name of the flower and where can we get it?" Gaara asked, joy barely heard in his voice as Hinata thought how nice of a smile he had.

"It's called the desert rose and grows near oasis where there is plenty of water" Hinata said a tear trying to break free as she felt in her heart that every word she spoke was taking her closer to losing Naruto.

"I believe there is in fact an oasis close to here" Gaara stated as he started to leave the room for his office and a map of the wind nation.

"Sai, Sakura, go ahead with Gaara and help him search. I will stay here with Temari-chan just in case she needs something."

Nodding, the group didn't miss how Naruto added the –chan honorific behind Temari's name or the quiet sob coming from Hinata as she wiped away a tear that was running down her face.

'_That's it, I'm going to find out what the hell happened between those two'_ Sakura thought as she quickly caught up with Hinata as they made their way to Gaara's office. Inside Gaara's office, Gaara, Kankuro, and Sai were viewing a map of the region and drawing out what would be the fastest and safest way to get to the oasis as Sakura was interrogating Hinata about her and Naruto's behavior. At first, Hinata said nothing was wrong but as Sakura kept questioning her, her sturdy wall of resistance began to crumple and fall before her very feet. Bursting into tears, she cried all her sorrow and pain into Sakura's shoulder as Sakura patted her on the back saying that when she got done with Naruto he would forget all about the other woman. Hinata didn't tell her about it was Temari because she knew that Naruto didn't want anybody knowing yet.

"It's okay, Hinata, it will be okay. I'll hide his body later after I get through clobbering the life out of him" Sakura said rubbing the crying girls back as the three boys, uncomfortable with all the crying, went back to find the fastest route which Sai drew upon a scroll for Gaara to take with him when he left on his adventure to find the flower.

"Gaara, I don't believe you should go on this trip alone. I mean I know you can defend yourself and all, but what if you end up like Temari or something else happens to you?" Kankuro said in his protective brother mode as he watched Gaara pick up his gourd and ask one of the ANBU to pack water and other supplies for his trip.

"…I don't really have a choice now do I Kankuro?" Gaara finally said as he picked up the scroll handed to him by Sai.

"I need to find the plant quickly before Temari gets any sicker."

"So why did you ask for Konoha's help if you planned to go alone all along?"

Gaara sighed and looked up at his brother. Looking at Sakura, then at Hinata he said "because I knew they would send Naruto along and I wanted to see how much he really cared for about our sister." The room went silent after that last comment as everybody stared at Gaara.

"Wait a minute? Naruto LIKES Temari?" Kankuro asked wide-eyed as Gaara responded with a nod. "And you left him in the room WITH our sister who is VULNERABLE."

Hinata sniffed making everybody look back at her as she looked down at the ground, clearly depressed.

"You knew this…didn't you?" Sakura asked as she looked down at the back of Hinata's head who nodded slightly not meeting anybody's eyes. Sighing, Sakura tried speaking encouraging words to the extremely depressed kunoichi saying she would find another love, but her words didn't seem to have an effect.

"Hey, why is she so down?" Sai asked stupidly as he put away his ink set. Frowning at the naïve shinobi, Sakura told them about how Hinata secretly loved Naruto since she was little and he never figured that out. To make matters worse, he even asked her what to do to show Temari how much he cared for her. As the silence in the room lengthened, Gaara and Kankuro gave each other a look and sighed.

"Fine, we will let him be…for now. I'll have the ANBU keep an eye on him while I take you three back to Konoha-"

"NO" came the reply from Hinata, who looked up suddenly, eyes filled with determination as she stood up. "I want to help you look for the flower" she told Gaara a look on her face saying she wasn't going to take no for an answer.

"I can help you find the flower with my byakugan and also help you look out for enemies and traps."

Gaara's face was blank as she waited for his response.

"Or do you secretly want slow him down so he won't find the flower in time and you get to have your precious _Naruto-kun_ back?" Kankuro said with a sneer as he didn't believe the dark-haired kunoichi one bit. However, the sneer was wiped out of him as Hinata slammed him against a wall with "gentle fist empty palm" before getting up in his personal space, rage clearly written all over her face.

"I can't believe that you, YOU, of all people, would think I would ever do such a horrible thing like that. Now, Hokage-sama specifically chose me to join the team because she knows I can be trusted and that I can be of much help in finding the flower. As much as I love Naruto-kun, I would never, EVER, jeopardize someone's life just to have him love me" Hinata said as she stepped back just as Kankuro fell to the floor, but quickly got his composure as everybody, even the ANBU, watch in silence at the scene. Sakura and Sai were shock at the normally quiet Hyuuga as she stood by them anger still shown on her face.

"I think that should be enough proof that she is telling the truth" Sakura said, smiling at how Hinata stood up for herself.

"Or she could be a really good actor" Sai muttered right before Sakura smacked him upside his head with a chakra-glowing hand. Gaara took one look at Hinata's face and nodded.

"You can help me find the flower for your eyes will come in handy" he said as he asked one of the ANBU to pack a bag for Hinata, who quickly followed the orders. As soon as both bags were ready, both groups made one last visit to Temari and Naruto, who haven't moved since he got there, and made their way to the Suna barrier between the village and the outside world. Kankuro, Sakura, and Sai headed in once direction, back to Konoha as Gaara and Hinata quickly made their way into another, looking for the oasis with the desert rose.

"Um…where exactly is the nearest oasis at, Gaara-sama?" Hinata nearly whispered as she felt a little uncomfortable being alone with the Kazekage of Suna.

"Please call me Gaara and it's not far from here about a two day walk, three if the weather becomes bad. Pulling out the map Sai made for him, he showed Hinata the route he was going to take that would them quickly to the nearest oasis and hopefully to the flower.

"Be careful though, because the desert has a lot of natural dangers like quicksand, sandstorms, and desert life we need to look out for. Although it would be easier to ride my sand to the oasis, I don't know how to collect the pollen from the flower or be able to see from the air any of the dangers that could be lurking nearby."

Nodding in agreement, Hinata said she understood and waited until Gaara put the map away to begin walking towards the oasis and hopefully the cure to Temari's mysterious poison. On the way to Konoha, a very pissed off pink-haired kunoichi was thinking about all the things she was going to do to Naruto when he got back to Konoha and try and figure out how many people she could rope into getting back at the fox vessel for hurting Hinata like that and not realizing her true feelings a long time ago. While Sakura was too busy plotting the death of a certain male blonde, Kankuro was in his own thoughts about said blonde and his sister.

'_I hope you know what you're doing Gaara, although…you did seem INTERESTED in that quiet girl. Heh, she the first girl who actually tried to attack me openly like that since Temari. Maybe…just maybe…' _

Sai felt a little left out as he noticed both Sakura and Kankuro in their own thoughts as they made their way back to Konoha.

"Hey, Sakura you seem to know a lot about that Hinata girl…what is she liked?" Kankuro asked out of the blue thinking that somebody else might find love in the desert night. Hinata and Gaara were making a good time as they continued walking to the nearby oasis until the desert started cooling as the sun fell and the night came. Hinata, breathing in the cool air of the desert, felt comfortable with the quietness of the trip as Gaara rarely said anything except to point out desert wild-life and the different type of cacti around.

After the sun had fell and the night grew colder than Hinata could bare, Gaara stopped and said it would be best to set up camp. Agreeing, Hinata set up her sleeping bag, set up a fire, and put a charm around the makeshift camp.

"Hinata" Gaara called out, getting the attention of said kunoichi as she turned to look at the redhead.

"Yes Gaara-san?" Gaara went over to her and started to move the sleeping bags closer together.

"We need to sleep together tonight."


	2. That sinking feeling

Desert Rose-Chapter 2

"…what did you say?" Temari asked, looking at the blushing blonde in front of her.

"I said…that I have feelings for you. I know that this seems sudden but I liked you the first time I saw you at the chunnin exams and…well…"

Temari just stared at the blonde who was at a loss for words as she took in all he just told her. While Naruto was looking down, Temari took the time to actually look at Naruto and notice how much he had grown. Naruto's hair, still unruly, was longer and made him look a lot like a certain Hokage who was known as Konoha's yellow flash. He wore the standard ANBU outfit, but managed to add a small orange spiral to the green flak jacket he was wearing on one of the scroll pockets. He was still the same goofy Naruto, but he had grown up and matured greatly. Temari thought about all he had done from defeating Madara to saving and bringing back Sasuke to Konoha to threatening the whole committee who wanted to kill Sasuke for betraying Konoha. He then convinced them to give Sasuke another chance and that he technically didn't do anything to any of the nations because it was all planned by Madara. So after that, Sasuke was given a second chance he wasn't wasting it, as he started working missions almost non-stop and advanced to ANBU captain, along with Naruto, in one year where Naruto was on his way to becoming Konoha's 6th Hokage.

"You know-"

Naruto looked up where Temari met his ocean blue eyes

"that Gaara might accept the idea of you and me in a relationship but Kankuro will make your life a living hell until he warms up to you."

Naruto blinked and chuckled, saying that the first 16 years of his life was a living hell and that he could endure for however long it took for Kankuro to accept him. Temari smiled, knowing well that Naruto would never back down from a challenge, and tried to get more comfortable as Naruto noticed this.

"Do you need anything, Temari-chan?" Naruto asked getting up and waiting as if answering her every beck and call. Raising an eyebrow, Temari was about to tell him she didn't when her stomached growled loudly in the quiet room.

"Well I am a little hungry" before Temari could finish her sentence Naruto was out the door heading for the kitchen. Sweat-dropping at how fast Naruto left to get her some food, she was secretly grateful for the peace and quiet time to think about Naruto's confession. Temari thought about how Gaara and Kankuro would take the news of them dating, although she guessed that they already knew due to Naruto's behavior around her. Thinking about her protective brothers, she imagined Naruto and Gaara getting along very well since Naruto is the only one who understood what Gaara has been through and doesn't fear, but respect. Naruto and Gaara's special connection at having similar childhoods and being just born with the biju sealed inside them made Naruto the only one Gaara trust to take care of her as they all noticed the things Naruto had accomplished even with the biju still sealed inside him.

"Hmm, I guess I can give it a try" Temari said softly out loud just as Naruto came back with a several clones, all loaded with food.

'_Something tell me I'm going to enjoy this'_ Temari thought as Naruto and his clones begin to her small bits of fruit and other types of food. Going back to the desert with Hinata and Gaara we left off with the redhead telling the shy Hyuuga that they were going to sleep together. And right now that shy Hyuuga was a shy, blushing Hyuuga who face was as red as Gaara's hair as she turned. "

Uh…what?" Hinata finally manage to say, hoping she heard wrong as she looked into Gaara's teal eyes.

"I said we need to sleep together."

"Can I ask why?" Hinata said softly, slowly backing away just in case she needed to make a run for it.

"…deserts nights get very cold and it will help conserve body heat" Gaara said, fishing through his bag for food as an extremely embarrassed Hinata said oh and began to look around in her bag for needed supplies.

"The night is still young if you want to continue, I mean we don't have to stop yet" Hinata said, trying hard not to imagine her and Gaara sleeping close to each other like that.

"Although, the night is still young, desert nights can reach temperatures in the negatives fairly quickly and it would be best for us to turn in for the night. I'll keep watch since I don't need much sleep due to the number of years of being insomniac."

Agreeing that she would need her strength to find the oasis with her byakugan, they quietly shared a dinner before moving to the sleeping bags. Hinata was the first into the sleeping bags and got comfortable when Gaara joined her and got comfortable.

Hinata turned her back towards him, to hide the deep blush on her face as she felt Gaara's body heat close to her as he kept watch using his third eye. After a few minutes, Hinata became comfortable with Gaara next to her and lulled off into a deep sleep, not such much as a twitch or a sound came from her. Gaara stopped using his third eye and looked at the sleeping Hyuuga next to him, her ink blue sprawled over the sleeping bag with a strand in her face. Curious, Gaara gently moved the strand of hair out of her face and twirled it between his fingers.

"It's so…smooth…like silk" he said silently as he tucked the strand behind her ear.

'_What's this strange feeling when I see her sleeping like this? Like…I enjoy watching her sleep, the way her chest slowly rises and falls with her slow breathe, the way her skin reminds me of warm milk and her lips plump and kis- WHAT AM I THIMKING?_'

Gaara roughly shook his head as he went back to using his third eye jutsu to look around but Hinata's invisible jutsu seemed to work as there was no sign of danger. Feeling safe, he bundled down in the sleeping bag, giving Hinata her space without moving too far away, he closed his eyes and fell into a light sleep, dreaming of pale lavender eyes.

'_Hmm, this pillow is so soft, so warm. The sound of the heart beating is so soothing. Wait…heartbeat?' _

Hinata's eyes shot opened as her brained caught up with her senses.

'_Wait, pillows don't have a heartbeat…nor do they have arms and a chest'_

Eyes widening, Hinata looked at the place she was currently laying and almost cried out in shock and surprised. Scared to look up, Hinata finally managed to turn her head and she wished she hadn't. Meeting her gaze was Gaara's face inches away from hers. His sleeping face held an air of innocence as his ruby red hair set off his boyish looks while he slept. The dark rings around his eyes only seem to add to the charm of looks as Hinata blushed at the thought of wanting to his hair and see if it was as soft as it looked. Giving in to temptation, she lightly touched a red lock of hair that felt soft to the touch. Remembering what kind of position she was in, as she was laying on top of him, she blushed and tried to maneuver off of him but seemed to end up in a worse position. Cursing her luck, she somehow placed her hands on either side of him, her chest below his as she tried to move to the side. Sighing, she mentally thought that the situation couldn't get any worse until she looked up and meet a pair of teal eyes looking into her lavender ones. Speechless for a few seconds, she instantly blushed red and not caring anymore leap out of the sleeping bag with a squeak before saying that they should get a move on. Gaara studied the blushing and fast-paced kunoichi before he too got out of the sleeping bag. Packing up everything, and trying to avoid Gaara's eyesight as much as possible, Hinata decided to skip breakfast as she and her companion headed out once more looking for the desert rose. However, the thing on both their minds was why did they enjoyed being in that position as they both used their eyes (Hinata's byakugan and Gaara's third eye) to scout ahead but on occasion check out each other without realizing it. After the most embarrassing moment of Hinata's life, second being the time she accidently walked in on Neji coming out of the shower, Hinata followed by Gaara started their journey back on finding the oasis as the sun rose higher and higher in the sky until it was directly above them. Hinata started sweating as the sun's rays beamed down on her making her hair stick to her face and causing spots to appear in front of her eyes.

'_Maybe I shouldn't have skipped breakfast'_ Hinata thought as she sent a quick sideways glance towards Gaara. Gaara felt a pair of eyes staring at him and turned to see Hinata staring at him, almost like she was memorizing the way he looked.

"Is something wrong?" he asked noticing that she didn't turn away when she caught him staring.

"I just find it interesting that you're not sweating in the desert heat but I guess if you lived in Suna your whole life you get used to it" she said swaying a bit. Gaara frowned when he noticed that Hinata's face was turning red, but he didn't believe it was from her blushing, when he answered.

"I don't feel the heat because the sand protects me from the sun's ray…it's always done that. Are you sure you okay, Hinata?" he asked again noticing that her eyes seemed to be losing their focus.

"Yes…I'm fine…" she said as the wooziness seemed to increase and she had a hard time walking straight. Feeling her conscious fading, the last thing she heard was Gaara muttering a slight curse as he quickly made it to Hinata right as she passed out from heat exhaustion. "Sorry, Gaara-san" Hinata manage to mutter before going quiet as the heat made her weak. Gaara activated the sand in his gourd to shield them as the sun seemed to beam down on them even more. Grabbing the canteen of water, he slowly poured it over Hinata's face as to bring her body temperature down. Not knowing why, Gaara was concerned about Hinata as he used almost all of the rest of the water in the canteen to cool her heated skin. Checking her temperature and glad to find she was cooling down, he mentally slapped himself for not realizing she was becoming weak from the heat. About three hours later, Hinata came too, noticing that something was shielding her from the sun. Focusing, she realized what was shielding her was in fact Gaara's sand and she quickly sat up from Gaara's lap looking at her surroundings.

"What happened?" she asked looking at the silent redhead who had a look of concern on his face.

"You passed out due to a heat stroke. I shielded you from the sun's rays" Gaara explained as he stood up and dusted the sand off his clothes. Handing her an onigirl and the rest of the water in the canteen he told her eat and drink. Quickly eating and drinking the food and water he provided, Hinata was suddenly on her knees, head towards the ground.

"Oh, sorry for troubling you Gaara-san" Hinata said bowing a bit before she too stood and dusted some sand off of her. Gaara frowned when the ink-blued haired kunoichi apologized, even bowing to him, for getting a heat stroke.

"I should be the one apologizing for I didn't realize you were dehydrated until you passed out" he said picking up the empty canteen bottle and placing it in his bag. Hinata held a shock look on her face, saying that it was entirely her fault for not staying hydrated. Gaara just looked at her which made her feel uneasy as she noticed the slight frown on his face.

"Do you always blame yourself for things that were an accident?" he asked as he noticed that Hinata didn't seem to want others to take the blame for anything. Hinata blinked at the unexpected question as Gaara sighed and said never mind and continued walking ahead. Hinata, still in shock quickly caught up with Gaara and didn't say anything as they keep on ahead the desert cooling down as the sun set.

"Gaara-san…thank you."

Gaara just nodded and asked if she was okay in continuing which she nodded yes saying that the "nap" helped a lot and that she was feeling better. Both ninja continued walking, checking the map every now and then, before Gaara finally stopped and said they couldn't venture any further without light for the moon was hidden behind clouds. Agreeing, Hinata said she would keep first watch as they got into the sleeping bags and after a while, fell asleep. Waking up first this time, Gaara was surprised to find Hinata in the same position as last time as she hugged his chest. Not knowing why, he kept her there as she looked comfortable and he didn't want to bother her just yet. After watching her for another 20 minutes, he noticed that she started stirring and quickly moved as to avoid the same event from last time. Waking up and noticing Gaara already away, she quickly rose and began to put the stuff up. Making sure to eat this time, both ate in silence before again trekking across the desert as they were approaching their destination soon. Gaara slowed down as he started paying attention to the sand around him.

"Be careful, Hinata-san, there is danger up ahead" Gaara stated looking at the shifting sand.

"What are those?" Hinata asked noticing the weird vortex in the sand that seemed looked a lot like many whirlpools in the desert.

"Quicksand" Gaara states calmly stopping as he looked at Hinata.

"I will need your help with avoiding them. I could fly us over them but I don't know exactly where the safe ground is because some are hidden underground."

Hinata activated her byakugan and noticed what he was talking about as she learned to use the byakugan just below the surface, the looser the surface the easier to see beneath it. Nodding, she quickly and cautiously moved through the area as Gaara followed close behind as they avoided quicksand after quicksand. There were times that they had to use Gaara's sand to fly over a fairly large vortex but they manage to make it pass the worse of them. As they got further into the desert, the vortex became few and farther apart. Not seeing any more quicksand, Hinata deactivated her byakugan before she stopped and wiped the sweat off her brow. Gaara handed her his canteen which she thanked him for and took a quick sip of water as they were running low. Not paying attention, Hinata missed when the sand around Gaara's feet suddenly started to swirl and take him under. Hearing cursing, Hinata turned in time to see something scuttle away underneath the sand before she realized that Gaara was sinking in quicksand.

'_Impossible, there was quicksand there a minute ago'_ she thought as she screwed the top onto the canteen and place it in her bag.

"Gaara-san can you get out?" Hinata asked as she took the backpack Gaara had handed him as to slow down his descending into the desert sand.

"No" he called out as he knew struggling would only make him sink faster. Muttering curses, which she never really done, under her breathe she quickly looked through the bags for something that could help them in their situation.

'_Come on, where is it…YES'_ Hinata thinks as she pulls out a rope triumphed at finding it. Turning back to Gaara she found him sinking, trying to force the sand beneath him to rise or stop flowing but he can't due to the sand's sticky substance and therefore can't control it. Looking around for something to tie the rope to and finding nothing, she quickly tied the rope around her stomach and throws the other end to Gaara who catches it. Holding on to the rope, Hinata tried and pulled him out of the quicksand but to her horror she couldn't as she started to cry. She then looked up in Gaara's fear-filled eyes as they both realized that Gaara was slowly sinking to his death.

'_Man, I could REALLY get used to this'_ Temari thought as Naruto started giving her a back rub while a clone rubbed her feet, another cleaning her fan, etc. Naruto never left Temari side unless it was to eat or use the bathroom but he quickly made his way back to her. Not only that, he basically waited on her hand and feet for anything as simple as asking for something to drink. She asked if he could fluff up her pillow and he did…along with giving her a massage, feeding her grapes, using her fan to cool her down. Temari was actually surprise because she was one of the few kunoichi in Suna and she had to show her toughness to be considered valued in the eyes of the Suna people. Naruto however saw the women beneath the surface and treated like one. As Naruto was fanning her, Temari went into a coughing fit so severe that she actually had hard time breathing. Naruto, realizing this, tried to make her drink water but it didn't help. Seeing Temari's eyes go weird due to lack of oxygen he did the first thing that came to mind. He kissed the daylights out her and begin to fill her lungs with air as he dubbed the "kiss of life." When she could breathe again, Naruto moved away from her lips, a big blush dotting his cheeks as Temari touched her lips.

"I'll…go inform the medics that you're having trouble breathing" Naruto mumbled and took off out the door. Temari watched the door open and close before she looked at the hand and smiled as she brought her hand back to her mouth and thought about the kiss.


	3. Dance, Hinata, Dance

Desert Rose-Chapter 3

*back to the desert*

'_Why can't I be strong enough to pull Gaara-san out?'_ Hinata though miserably as she kept trying to pull Gaara out who was still sinking in the quicksand. Hinata heard movement and noticed Gaara's sand in the gourd coming out and seem to mix in with the sand. Hinata had a hint of hope as she believed that the sand could help push Gaara out of the sand. However, she soon lost that hope as she heard Gaara mutter a curse saying the sand was too sticky for his sand to get through. Seeing that Gaara was actually scared gave Hinata the fuel to try and come up with something to help the red-headed Kazekage. Hinata suddenly came up with something, although it seemed futile, she decided to try it as she motion towards Gaara.

"Gaara-san, can you a platform with your sand for me to stand on?" Giving her a look, he nodded and began to do just that using the sand in the gourd, but not the gourd itself as he compact the sand to create a solid and durable platform. Nodding, she quickly stepped onto the platform and tells Gaara to tie the rope around the gourd and to hang on. Seeing that she had some kind of plan, hopefully one that will work, he did just that as the quicksand came up to his waist. Grabbing her animal mask and putting it on she then told him to hold on tight, she backed up till the rope was almost taunt and she grabbed the remaining part of it and held it in her hands.

'_I hope this work'_ Hinata thought as she began to fuel chakra all around her body and start spinning.

"_Protective eight trigrams sixty-four palms" _Hinata muttered as she started to spin around on the platform as she knew she needed proper footing to do the technique. As Gaara watched, he suddenly felt a pull as the rope begin to tug him slowly to the side of the pit where the quicksand formed. As he grabbed onto the rope and began to hoist himself out he couldn't help but admire how the sand swirled around her, creating a miniature tornado like effect as Hinata kept spinning. As Hinata kept spinning, the rope kept pulling Gaara and after about 2 minutes he finally managed to escape the quicksand pit as Hinata stopped spinning and removed the rope from around her. Breathing hard, they both collapsed down on the sand as Hinata removed her animal mask. Gaara could see that Hinata's face was red from exhaustion as she used a lot of chakra to keep the rope from slipping in her hands, using her technique, and the byakugan to make sure there was no more danger. As the sand retracted back into Gaara's gourd he slowly got up from the ground and extended his hand to help Hinata up, who smiled, and took his hand. Trying to dust some of the clinging quicksand off, he turned to look at Hinata with amazement glowing in his teal eyes.

"Thank you, Hinata-san for saving my life. What kind of jutsu was that for it seemed different than the usual Hyuuga techniques I have heard about?"

Blushing at how Gaara thanked her, she stuttered out that it was jutsu she came up with since she had a hard time with the Hyuuga usual gentle techniques.

"Due to my light weight and excellent chakra control, I learned several techniques that benefit me in battle that are similar to the 'rotation' that my family is well known for."

Surprised at how much stronger Hinata was than he thought, he thanked her again as he wiped off more of the quicksand. Blushing, Hinata nodded in embarrassment as Gaara looked down at the swirling pit that seemed to get smaller as he stared at it.

"It's usual how this quicksand pit seemed to appear out of nowhere" Gaara stated looking at it get smaller. Looking down at noticing how it was shrinking, Hinata quickly pulled out a vial and carefully scooped up some of the quicksand.

"I don't think this is regular quicksand" she said noticing Gaara's look as she placed the vial in her bag. "That pit wasn't there earlier when I checked the surroundings, in fact, it seemed like something was burrowing away from it just as you started sinking."

Remembering seeing something move under the sand, he agreed and said that they would have to be more careful as he accepted the backpack Hinata gave him and they began their journey back to finding the oasis as the sun started to beat down on them. As they started walking again, Gaara noticed that Hinata was moving slower than she normally did as he saw her wipe the moisture from around her face.

"You're tired. You used a lot of chakra with that technique" Gaara stated as Hinata barely nodded as she continued at her slow pace. "Let's stop Hinata-san, you're seriously drained and trying to continue would be bad for you" Gaara said but saw Hinata shake her head and tried to walk faster saying that she could continue. Sighing at her determination, Gaara walked alongside Hinata as they continued on their journey. As they continue however, Gaara noticed that Hinata wasn't looking to good.

"Hinata...you look hot" Gaara stated after a while which causes Hinata to stumble, splutter, and blush all at the same time.

"Um...uh…wha…eh" is all that comes out of Hinata's mouth as Gaara, who realized how she took it, blushed and said he meant that she looked like she had a fever.

"Oh" she muttered blushing still as Gaara's sand shot out of the gourd and turned into a makeshift umbrella which protected them from the sun.

"Let's stop Hinata-san for you don't need another heatstroke" Gaara said, pulling out the last canteen of water while Hinata tried to make words.

"But we're behind due to my heatstroke and the quicksand incident we really should-" Gaara suddenly placed the canteen to her lips and made her drink some water.

"If you don't rest, you risking another heatstroke and we can make up the time by riding on my sand so please rest."

Sighing in defeat, Hinata nodded and handed the canteen back to Gaara.

"We will need to find the oasis soon, since we're running out of water."

Agreeing, Gaara created a sphere of sand with an opening to see as Hinata got comfortable and rest of Gaara's shoulder, too tired to be embarrassed as she fell into a deep sleep. Gaara was deep in thought as he wondered how his sister was doing.

'_Please be okay until I get back Temari-neechan' _Gaara though as he closed the sphere and fell into a light sleep thinking about shifting sand around a certain ink-blue haired kunoichi.

'_That's it. I'm officially spoiled and addicted to Naruto giving me the "breath of life. More like "kiss of life'_ Temari thought as a small cough escaped her lips as she waited for Naruto to return. Feeling the same itchiness in the back of her throat, she mentally cursed until she saw the door open and in popped Naruto who was holding a cup of tea with lemon. Making hand signals, Temari motioned to Naruto that the feeling had come back when her throat was closing up. Placing the cup down quickly, he went over to Temari and begin to breathe air into her lungs so Temari could breathe. Not wanting to break the connection quite yet, Temari began to kiss him back, surprising the blue-eyed blonde who relaxed after a few seconds. The kiss seemed to lengthen as it turned more furious until both had to come up for air. Blushing big-time, Naruto began to stutter in the same manner Hinata did when she was younger which Temari found cute. Shivering a bit, Temari noticed the pile of blankets on her bed and realized that she was getting sicker. Looking at Naruto, who was looking away and blushing, she smiled and accepted the tea he handed her.

"Naru-kun, I cold" Temari said as she pulled the covers closer around her.

"I'll go get you some more blankets" Naruto said and tried to get up but Temari held his hand.

"No, you don't need to bother them again. Besides…I want YOU to help me warm up by…" Temari said, in a seductive manner as Naruto's eyes grew big and thought about the only possible way he could think of that he could help Temari stay warm.

Hinata woke up to once again find herself in the shady place of Gaara's sand sphere as she took in her surroundings. With a yawn Hinata began to move but stop when she realized that Gaara was still sleeping and she didn't want to disturb him so she kept still and thought about how much her life had changed. She thought of Naruto and how he shattered her heart by saying he loved another. The thing that made it hurt the most wasn't because it was Temari, or that the fact she lived in Suna…but the thought that Naruto, even now, didn't realize her feelings for him or that the way he acted in front of her was slowly killing her inside. Hinata sighed, closed her eyes as she thought how Temari would take it and would she return his feelings as strong as she had for Naruto.

'_I'm just going to have to close off my heart to love for he is the only one I will truly ever love'_ Hinata thought as a tear escaped and rolled down her face as she felt the pain of loneliness throb with every beat from her heart as she tried to close off her emotions but couldn't. In her own thoughts she gasped when she felt a gentle hand on her face, wiping away the tear that had fallen. Opening her eyes, she turned her head to see Gaara with a sad expression on his face as he watched Hinata cry from her personal thoughts.

"Oh Gaara-san I'm sorry for disturbing you I was-" Hinata stated getting ready to apologize when Gaara stopped her with a shake of his head.

"You were not disturbing me, like you are not a burden. I know you keep thinking that everything that has gone wrong was your fault but it's not. Like your feelings for Naruto you shouldn't try to lock them away because it will make you cold, heartless, and a miserable person."

Hinata gasped at how Gaara could easily read her emotions but figured that was because she wasn't really trying to hide them.

"Also don't blame Naruto for not understanding your feelings for him and I both had hard childhoods and didn't really understand the concept of love and happiness thanks to the way we were treated. I believe Naruto fell for Temari when he saw how she would try to protect me no matter how much I used to threaten them. Truthfully, Temari has been through the most torture because she had to sacrifice a lot to watch over me, prove herself in the eyes of the Suna people, and deal with the Shukaku whenever I lost control. I can understand why Naruto loves Temari and how much he deeply cares for her plus Naruto is the only person I trust to be around my sister. As much as it hurts to see the one you love falling for another I know deep down you're secretly happy that he finally found someone to love."

Hinata remained quiet as Gaara's words sank into her mind and heart like a soothing salve that took some of the pain away.

"Thank you Gaara-san for you had helped me in many ways and I hope to repay you some day."

Gaara's sand retracted back into his gourd where they noticed the sun sinking low in the sky as they continued to walk.

"But you have helped, not only me but my family, in finding a cure for Temari's sickness, safely guiding me over the quicksand pits, and manage to save my life after I fell into one."

Gaara looked at Hinata with a slight smile on his face as she nodded, blushing a bit, before they picked up the pace to make up for lost time. After about twenty minutes, Gaara and Hinata decided to ride on the sand before the sun completely set for it was faster and they weren't far away from the oasis now.

"Do you see anything ahead, Hinata-chan?" Gaara asked, before frowning wondering why he added the –chan honorific at the end of her name.

"What-oh nothing so far…wait I see it it's about 50 km from where we are. We should be there within the next 20 minutes" Hinata said excitedly as she spotted the pink flowers growing along the bank of the oasis and knew they were getting close. "But wait Gaara-san, I think something is happening because I can barely see a lot of small bodied creatures digging in the sand, and-"

Before Hinata could finish her sentence she closed her eyes suddenly making her deactivate her byakugan.

"Hinata-chan what's wrong?" Gaara asked before noticing the sudden weather change.

"The sand…it's irritating with my byakugan" Hinata said softly trying to wipe the sand from her eyes while keeping it out of her mouth. Gaara looked around and noticed the wall of wind and sand coming towards them at an alarming rate.

"Sand storm" he muttered and looked around for some kind of shelter but couldn't find one so he made a quick decision on what to do. Jumping down from his sand, he moved Hinata right above him before willing his sand around him making Hinata fall suddenly. Before she had time to call out, Gaara had already caught her and began to make his ultimate defense, sand sphere, as the storm had reached them.

"What is happening?" Hinata asked as she watched the swirling sand outside disappear by the sphere being complete, Gaara sighing as he was tired from using so much chakra.

"It's a sandstorm although this one doesn't seem to be natural for there wasn't a breeze strong enough to move this much sand in a short amount of time. I believe someone or something is trying to get rid of me."

The red-headed Kazekage closed his eyes and took a look of concentration as he went in his mind and tried to figure out who wanted to finish him off. Coming up with a blank he opened his eyes to notice Hinata's byakugan activated as she checked the surroundings for someone trying to attack. "Hinata-chan, please rest for nobody would venture out here during a sandstorm."

Agreeing for she didn't fully recover all her chakra she laid her head against the redhead's shoulder and quickly went to sleep. Knowing the shield could withhold a lot of attacks, Gaara closed his eyes and went to sleep alongside not understanding what was has changed between the two of them. After a while, the sounds of the sandstorm ceased to be heard and Gaara woke up to check the surroundings noticing that everything was quiet and night had fallen. Looking down at the ink blued hair covering his shoulder he felt a twinge in his heart as he stared at the pale skin of Hinata who was mumbling something in her sleep. Curious as to what she was saying, Gaara tilted his head as to hear what she was saying as she started mumbling again.

"N-Naru-to kun" Hinata said smiling softly before going quiet once more. Hinata was in a dreamscape where she was having a conversation with Naruto as she told him the feelings she had.

"_I'm sorry I never knew your feelings Hinata and that I hurt you in the worse of way but I do know this…you will find someone who will cherish you as much I cherish Temari. Who knows that special person might be right under your nose and you haven't realized it yet. Thank you for believing in me Hinata-chan and I will love you as a friend."_

_Hinata smiled as she felt better than she had in a long time as she noticed dream Naruto starting to disappear. _

"_Goodbye, Hinata-chan" dream Naruto said growing dim. _

"_Goodbye, Naruto-kun" Hinata said as she watched Naruto leave her dreams forever. _

Hinata woke up laying on, not Gaara's shoulder but a sleeping bag rolled out by Gaara who was looking up at the starry sky.

"Gaara-san" Hinata called out making him turn to look at her and back at the sky before getting up from his position on his own sleeping bag.

"Let's go" he stated, a weird catch in his voice as he quickly rolled up his sleeping bag, placed it in his bag, before walking off leaving Hinata slightly behind. Confused at Gaara's behavior, Hinata quickly followed suit as she walked beside the redhead who was deep in thought, seeming to walk automatically. "Can you continue or do you need more rest" he asked sounding slightly upset as he kept looking forward.

"N-no, Gaara-san, I'm f-fine" Hinata stuttered out, something she hadn't done in years and only around Naruto. Nodding, they continued to walk, both not saying anything as they were trying to figure out their own thoughts that was troubling them. Hinata took a sideways glance at Gaara and felt her heart thump slightly.

'_What is wrong with me, why do I feel like this? I haven't acted this shy or this nervous around anybody but Naruto. Maybe…maybe I'm having feelings for Gaara-san. Maybe…I'm falling in love with him…'_


	4. Guilt

Desert Rose-Chapter 4

*back to Suna*

'_Ah, so warm, Naruto really does make a good heater. Who knew the Kyuubi's chakra could heat up a room so well'_ Temari thought as she snuggled deeper into the blanket. Naruto was silently crying as he sat next to Temari's bed, the Kyuubi's red chakra cloaked around his body as he served as Temari's personal room heater.

'_Kyuubi shut up'_ Naruto thought sadly as the fox demon was laughing at Naruto's misinterpreted thoughts of what Temari meant when she asked him to 'keep her warm'.

"**It funny how your mind went directly to sleeping with her. You have been hanging around pervy sage WAYY too much" **Kyuubi snickered as Naruto started yelling at him.

'_Oh be quiet you baka fox, if you were in my shoes you would think the same thing…that is if you could even get a fox girlfriend' _Naruto laughed when he heard the fox's angry growl.

"**What was that Gaki?" **

Naruto and Kyuubi then spent the next 20 minutes arguing until both ran out of things to argue about.

'…_hey Kyuubi, do you have any advice on how to help Temari get better?' _Naruto asked after a while.

"**Are you asking me for advice, Gaki? Oh Inari, you're serious, aren't you?"** Kyuubi said surprised when Naruto nodded his head in answer.

'_So do you have ideas or so…please' _Naruto asked softly scaring the hell out of the Kyuubi.

'_**Kit really loves Temari doesn't he? It's sweet, sigh, I happy for him although I hope this doesn't hurt Hinata too bad.'**_

Naruto left his mind to check on Temari who was still sleeping. Kyuubi watched as Naruto lightly kiss Temari before tucking her in the covers in_. _

'_**I wonder if Kit even knows about Hinata's feelings for him.' **_

"**Hey Kit, can I ask you a question about Hinata?"**

'_Eh, sure but what about her?' _

"**Have you figured out that she has feelings for you, you baka?"**

'_Hey who you calling a bak-Hinata likes me?' _

Kyuubi mentally smacked his forehead as he looked at the extremely dense blonde and explained Hinata's feelings.

'…_I'm such an idiot, but I love Temari. However if Temari dies…'_

Kyuubi sighed and looked down at his depressed host as Naruto softly hit his head against the bed.

"**In fact Naruto, I do have some advice for you but I don't know if Temari will agree…" **

Kyuubi then began to give Naruto advice that could save Temari…but at a cost.

"**I suggest you ask her first how she feels about it though." **

'_Thank you'_ Naruto said as he thought about all that Kyuubi had told him.

"So if I do what Kyuubi told me to do Temari will live, but at the cost…Gaara and Kankuro would kill me but I believe they will understand in the end…at least I hope."

Naruto looked at Temari and smiled at how lovely she looked sleeping.

"Please hurry back with the flower Gaara and Hinata."

Hearing a yawn behind him, Naruto turned as Temari opened her eyes.

"Look like now is a good time" he muttered as he looked at Temari.

"Temari I have something to tell you…"

_*back in the desert*_

"Yes, we're almost to the oasis Gaara-san" Hinata said excitedly as she viewed the small oasis with her byakugan.

"Good" Gaara said emotionless as the night grew cold while the moon rose. Hinata shivered violently, not only because of the cold but at Gaara's attitude.

'_Gaara-kun has been acting distant since earlier…I wonder if everything is okay?'_

"Let's turn in for the night. We can get the flower in the morning" Gaara said expressionless as he set up his sleeping bag and lay down.

"Gaara-san is everything okay?" Hinata asked but didn't get an answer_. _

'_He can't be sleep yet. Maybe he didn't hear me.'_

"Gaara-san, are you alright?" Hinata asked again but still didn't receive a response. "This isn't like Gaara at all" Hinata muttered before trying one last time. "Gaara-san, can you please tell me what's wrong?" Hinata tried once more and got a response. Agitated with Hinata's constant questioning, he looked at her with anger in his eyes.

"Would you stop asking me already or I will kill you for it."

Both ninjas went quiet as Gaara's statement hung in the air thick like a fog. Hinata was shocked and almost burst into tears at Gaara's outburst. Nodding, Hinata silently said, "ok" and went off to her sleeping bag. Hinata turned her back towards Gaara so she could leave him alone. After Gaara heard her get into her sleeping bag, he couldn't help the weird feeling that came over him when he saw Hinata nears tears. (A/N: It's called guilt Gaara) Trying to shake the feeling away, Gaara lay down and went to sleep knowing that the whole adventure was going to end tomorrow. As Hinata heard Gaara's breathing come out lighter she finally let out all the tears she was holding in.

'_Why is he so angry? Is he mad because we didn't get here sooner? Is it…my entire fault?' _

Hinata silently cried until no more tears ran down her face. Lying in the sleeping bag she turned to look at Gaara before stealthily getting out into the night towards the oasis.

_*back in Suna*_

"So you're saying that there is a semi-cure that will help me in case Gaara and the kunoichi don't get back in time?" Temari asked as she looked at Naruto who just finished explaining the semi-cure Kyuubi had told him about. Temari was surprised that Naruto would go to great lengths to see her well again. Temari frowned as two things came to her mind, more like two people came to her mind.

"You know Gaara and Kankuro might get extremely mad at you if you were to do that" Temari said as she watched Naruto flinch at the thought of two angry Sand brothers coming after him. Shaking his head to clear it he looked at Temari, who was smiling slightly, and told her that they would see reason in the end when they had time to calm down. "Would you really do that…for me? What about that Hyuuga girl who obviously in love with you?" Temari said as she saw Naruto frown_. _

'_Did everybody but I recognized Hinata's feelings for me?'_ Naruto thought in which the Kyuubi responded with a loud **"Yep"** as he shook his head at Naruto. Looking up into Temari's beautiful green eyes he smiled and nodded saying he would to save her for he loved her. Temari eyes grew wide as she heard the seriousness in Naruto's voice.

"Why didn't you go ahead and do that then?" Temari asked knowing that Naruto could have did what the Kyuubi told him to do when she was asleep. Shaking his head Naruto said it was her body and her decision and that was something he never wanted to take from her the decision to say yes or no. Temari had a serious look on her face as she looked at Naruto. "I need some time to think it over" she said in which Naruto just nodded in agreement as he stood up to stretch. Feeling the itchiness in the back of her throat Temari started coughing violently, even worse than before as her eyes started to water from lack of air. Naruto quickly breathe into her mouth trying to open her lungs but this time it didn't seem to be working. As the room started to spin and Temari realized she was about to pass out, she looked at Naruto through half-lidded eyes.

"Save me" she whispered before Temari closed her eyes completely and went into a coma. Shocked at what just happened, Naruto mentally kicked himself to get a move on as he ran out the room calling for the medics as Temari was about to die.

'_Kyuubi, it's time' _Naruto cried out in his mind as he began to fuel chakra enlarging his canine teeth. Grabbing a hold of Temari, he gently started kissing her neck before biting down lightly…

_*in the desert*_

With the chill of the desert night seeping into his sleeping bag, Gaara jolted awake and looked around.

'_Where is Hinata-chan?'_ he thought frantically as he noticed her sleeping bag wasn't next to him. _'Maybe she was thirsty and went to the oasis'_ Gaara thought as he noticed his canteen was full of water. Sitting up he watched as Hinata's sleeping bag slipped off of his along with a note. Frowning Gaara picked up the note and began to read as he got out of the sleeping bag.

"_Dear Gaara, _

_I sorry I was such a nuisance to you throughout the adventure. In your bag is the pollen you need to save Temari along with extra to help you grow some flowers in the greenhouse in Suna. I also refilled your canteen so you can have a safe trip back. I decided to find my way back as not to bother you anymore. After you finish reading this, hurry back to Suna to Temari before it's too late for I will be heading to Konoha alone, I'll find my way there sooner or later. I will take the full blame for my actions, saying you had more important things to worry about, like your sister. I wish you, Kankuro, Temari, and all the residents of Suna a safe life. _

_Gomensai, Hinata Hyuuga_

Gaara stared at the note as if the words were going to rearrange themselves and say something different. Snapping out of his daze, he lightly cursed himself as he picked up his and Hinata's sleeping bags, the canteen, and his bag with the pollen inside of it before using his third eye jutsu to look for Hinata_. _

'_Damnit, why did I have to yell at her. I didn't even mean that I was just…angry. No I wasn't angry at her…I was angry at her calling out Naruto's name in her sleep. What does that mean? Does that mean…I've fallen in love with her?'_ Gaara thought mentally as he kept looking for the ink blued hair kunoichi was making it easy to spot her. Growling out in frustration, Gaara was about to search the whole desert when he spotted Hinata several miles away heading in the direction of Suna.

'_Since she didn't take the map, it makes sense she would head back to Suna first before going back to Konoha'._

Seeing how much ground Hinata had covered, Gaara jumped onto his sand and rode off towards the sad and depressed Hyuuga as she towards the village.

'_I hope Gaara-kun makes it back in time to save Temari. At least he can make it back quicker without me slowing him down. It's a good thing I remembered the map so I should be going in the right direction'_ Hinata sighed as she looked up at the night sky full of stars and continued her journey back to Suna without Gaara.

"I know it's not wise to travel alone in a desert especially since I'm not familiar with the nocturnal animals but at least I won't be a burden to Gaara-kun anymore."

Hinata activated her byakugan to look out for hidden dangers in the cold night.

"Am I doomed to fall in love with people who don't return my feelings. I might as well have father arrange my marriage since I've been avoiding it constantly."

Hinata frowned when she saw something in front of her underneath the sand scuttling around as if hiding_. _

'_Wait a minute, that's the same thing I saw create the sandstorm…I bet it was the same thing that ran away after making the quicksand pit underneath Gaara-kun.'_

As Hinata wondered what to do she spotted something flying towards her in her range of byakugan.

"Gaara-kun, I see he is heading for Suna…that's good" Hinata said depressingly as she looked down where the scorpion's nest was. Hinata then heard something that sounded like a laugh coming from below her feet.

"Go forth, for I won't attack you. My orders are only for the red-head. Yes, the redhead, the Kazekage will be finished along with his family, that's my orders." 

Hinata watched in shock as a large red scorpion appeared out of the whole to look at her.

"You're the one who tried to harm Gaara-kun" Hinata said angrily as she looked at the laughing scorpion.

"Yes, on my master's orders I will attack him and his family. No one will stop me for I am unstoppable, however I will make you a deal, girl. If you manage to save the redhead before my poison kills him then I will spear his family. Yes, sound like a good deal to me" the scorpion said as he went back into this hole.

"What do you mean-" Hinata was about to ask before she saw Gaara start to float down on his sand. "Kuso, wait Gaara don't-" her warning came too late as Gaara jumped down off his sand in time to be stung in the leg by the scorpion. Looking down to see what hit him, Gaara felt his whole body start to lock down as the poison quickly took effect.

"Time is ticking" the scorpion said before disappearing in a puff of smoke. Gaara collapsed onto his knees, legs unable to support him as he started to feel ill. Within seconds his leg went numb and after a minute he couldn't move neither leg as the numbness and pain began to creep up his body. Unable to bare the pain, Gaara screamed out as he felt as if legs were being burned off him and his throat closing up. Gaara looked at Hinata with fear in his eyes as she wondered how she could save Gaara before time ran out.


	5. Too Late

Desert Rose-Chapter 5

Hinata could see the fear in Gaara's eyes as he looked at her, wondering what she would do.

"I thought your sand protected you" Hinata said as she started digging into her backpack for supplies. Gaara frowned for he realized she was right and that his sand hadn't protected him.

"I think it has something to do with the sand pit and the sandstorm for neither one was normal" he said in a pained voice as the pain started to creep steady higher up his body. Hearing a splashing sound, Gaara watched as Hinata pulled out a pan, filled it with water from her canteen, and turned back towards him with a green glowing hand.

"Thankfully Sakura taught me how to extract poisons from the body when Neji nii-san got bit by a poisonous spider once."

Gaara then watched as Hinata started removing the poison at an impressive speed before it had time to spread to his lungs and heart. Feeling the poison leave his body he calmed down as he watched Hinata wave her glowing hand over his body extracting the poison.

"I think I know what happened" Hinata said after a few minutes of silence as she did her job. "I heard of summoning scorpions and their unique poison that can be deadly if not dealt with immediately. I believe someone is out for you and your family Gaara-kun-er-san and waited until your guard was down to attack you. The quicksand was the first phase to weaken your defenses. They used the quicksand to break down the sand around your legs to inject you with the poison. Since we were still close to Suna to make it back before you got sick they bid their time until phase two…the sandstorm. They combined some of their poison when they created the sandstorm to weaken your sand shield knowing you would use it to protect us and therefore making it slow to react to when you were in danger. Now all they needed to do was wait for the right moment to strike but couldn't since they knew I could sense their chakra and wouldn't strike when I was around. However the scorpion, having a twisted sense of honor, said that if I could save you in time then it wouldn't attack Kankuro or you and Temari anymore."

Hinata's hand stopped glowing as she had drawn out most of the poison making sure Gaara wouldn't die. Breathing hard Hinata picked up her canteen and gave Gaara the rest of the water which he drank, his throat dry from the poison. Hinata finished the rest of the water and poured the poison water mixture back into the canteen saying it would help to be examined and be prepared in the future for the type of poison. Gaara's legs were still numb and he needed Hinata's help in getting up from the desert floor. Leaning on her for support, Gaara started coughing as his throat seemed to be closing up.

"Hin…ata…chan" Gaara managed to breathe out as he started to see spots from lack of oxygen. Realizing that his throat was closing up, Hinata quickly kissed Gaara surprising the hell of him as he felt Hinata breathe into his mouth, opening his throat and feelings his lungs with air.

"Better?" Hinata asked as Gaara nodded head still spinning but for a different reason as the kiss was incredible to him.

'_Nobody ever kissed me like that…in fact nobody ever showed compassion towards me except Temari and Kankuro, especially from someone from another village.'_

Gaara looked at Hinata as they slowly made their way back to Suna something on his mind that didn't add up to him.

"Hinata ch-san, why are you helping me?" Gaara asked as he remembered how he treated her earlier that night since it kept replaying in his mind almost taunting him. Hinata looked at Gaara before smiling and saying, "the same reason you came looking for me after I left Gaara-kun." Gaara stared at Hinata who kept looking forward a soft smile still on her face as Gaara thought about why he did go after Hinata.

'_Because I knew she would go back to Suna…no. Because I'm responsible for her since I asked her to come along…no. Because I'm the Kazekage and she feels that I'm important and-no not even close. Because I wanted to apologize for what I said…'_

Gaara looked at Hinata who had activated her byakugan and was checking their surroundings trying to figure out how to apologize to her since he wasn't used to apologizing to anyone.

"Hinata-chan, I want to say I'm sorry for-" Hinata laughed a little and told Gaara she had already forgiven him and didn't need to apologize. Nodding, he let Hinata carry a little longer until he realized that she was breathing heavily from using up a lot of her chakra. Gaara asked her to stop and she did, tired from the use of chakra and lack of sleep.

"We can ride on my sand since the danger seemed to have passed" Gaara said as the sand stood in front of them into two large pillow like shapes. Agreeing for she knew trying to continue on foot in their state was risky she helped Gaara onto one before she jumped onto the other one. As soon as they both got comfortable the sand took them higher in the air before swiftly making its way back to Suna, Hinata activating her byakugan every now and then to check for danger. The trip back was quick as there wasn't any obstacles to overcome except Gaara having a hard time breathing twice before they reached the sandy village late the next morning. Gaara and Hinata took short naps along the way back and was somewhat refreshed when they made it back to the village where they saw Kankuro on the back of a hawk with Sasuke at the same time they arrived. At the gates the guards greeted everybody back as they informed them that the medic requested their attention immediately. Hoping that they weren't too late Kankuro and Sasuke ran to Temari's room whereas Gaara and Hinata arrived by sand in front of her door. A medic was passing by when they handed her the pollen saying to make two antidotes then have the quicksand, and the water examined as she ran off to follow the orders. Seeing that Kankuro and Sasuke had just made it they were about to ask if everything was okay when they heard a cry for help come from inside the room and some loud crashing and banging. Thinking someone was being hurt, they quickly opened the door to find…Naruto pinned down by Temari. The four looked at the over-turned chair, papers everywhere, the bed seeming to have claw marks and back at Naruto who was trying to push Temari off but not succeeding.

"Naruto what happened in here?" Hinata asked looking at the blonde whose mind was elsewhere, like talking to a certain nine tailed fox about a side-effect he forgot to mention. As they saw that Temari was acting strange like rubbing her face against Naruto. Kankuro decided that enough was enough and managed to pull Temari off of Naruto long enough for him to run and hide behind Sasuke who had a slight smirk on his face.

"What the hell is wrong with you, Temari?" Kankuro said sending an evil glare in Naruto's direction who didn't so much as take a glance from behind Sasuke. Kankuro's words managed to calm down Temari, who was inching her way towards Sasuke who was trying to scoot to the side as not to be attacked by her, as she turned to look at him.

"What-the…NARUTO WHAT DID YOU DO TO TEMARI!" Kankuro screamed as he advanced towards the blonde who was somewhat saved by Gaara who told him that he couldn't answers from a dead body. Sweat dropping at the comment everybody looked at Temari who was frowning and looking at them as she finally noticed they were there. That's when everybody realized what made Kankuro yell out loud like that for Temari's eyes were slit slightly and showed twinges of red that the group realized was the Kyuubi's chakra. Everybody in the room turned towards Naruto who was flat up against the wall wishing for a door to magically take him anywhere but where he was.

"Naruto, explain" is all Gaara says as he looks at the extremely nervous blonde who looked between Temari, Kankuro, back to Temari, and finally at Gaara.

"Well the Kyuubi told me a way to say her and said I should use as a last resort if you didn't come back in time with the flower. I explained it to Temari and the side-effects and she told me to save her when she slipped into a coma and was slowly dying. So by combining the Kyuubi's chakra and my blood I was able to lengthen her life until you got back but it seems the baka fox forgot to mention THIS side-effect" Naruto said angrily as he heard the fox in his mind laugh saying it slipped his mind.

"Exactly what are the side-effects?" Kankuro said anger still heard in his voice as he looked at Naruto who gulped and said, "her eyes being slit and taking on some red but that's temporary, higher healing ability, senses are more sensitive, and from what I just found out…very sexual in nature" Naruto said that last bit quickly blushing a bit as he avoided everybody's eyesight. Too bad he wasn't paying attention to Temari who, on the word sexual, was off the bed and back to pouncing on Naruto as Sasuke managed to dodge in time.

"Help me" the blonde screamed as Temari start rubbing her face against his making soft purring sounds as Naruto tried to escape but couldn't. Kankuro and Gaara looked at each other before slowly shaking their heads wondering what they were going to do about the two blondes in the room.

"Naruto if I find out you did this to her for any other reason than to save her, I will personally kill you and turn you into a puppet" Kankuro said as he frowned at the blonde who was still trying to escape Temari's clutches. Gaara looked at Naruto whose face showed a variety of emotions that Gaara was trying to figure out. Fear from Kankuro's threat, anger that Kankuro believed he would use the power for something else, relief that Kankuro wasn't going to kill him yet, and love when he looked at Temari who was now clawing at his clothes. Gaara then began to look around to see how everybody else was reacting to the blonde's tug of war with Naruto's clothes. Kankuro was stone-faced but a small smirk could be seen every time Naruto called out for help. Sasuke was smirking also but his face showed a bit of curiosity and sadness as he thought about finding someone that loved him like that. Then Gaara turned to Hinata and feared the worst on how she would take the scene. However Hinata surprised Gaara on how she was reacting. Although Hinata had a sad look on her face as she watched the game of tug of war continue Gaara noticed the soft smile on her face as she looked at Naruto, happy he found someone he could love with all his heart. Sensing someone watching her, Hinata looked up and met Gaara's beautiful teal eyes as he stared at her thinking about all she had been through. Blushing she looked down at the floor lightly rubbing her right hand with her left. Gaara smiled and took one of her hands making her look back up into Gaara's face and smile as they seemed to stare into each other eyes forgetting about everybody else in the room. Realizing after a few minutes how the room was dead quiet they looked around and noticed everybody even Naruto and Temari was staring at them an eyebrow raised. Blushing greatly, Hinata looked back down at the floor, hands still intertwined with the redheaded Kazekage.

'_Oh, seems something happened while they were in the desert ALONE'_ the group was thinking as Gaara stared at everybody. Gaara nodded and said, looking down at Temari and Naruto "I will accept the relationship you have with my sister Naruto but I warn you, you better not hurt her in anyway or it will be your LAST mistake."

Naruto nodded as he resumed struggling with Temari who tried even harder to get his shirt off.

"Thanks Gaara although I think _I'm _the one who should be worried about being hurt" Naruto said as Temari's now lengthen claws slashed at Naruto's shirt leaving some marks on his body when she dug too deep. Laughing at Naruto who finally gave up on the shirt and created clones to help him, the group moved away from the door as a medic came in saying that the antidote was ready as she brought in a cup with a sweet aroma wafting from it that was the pollen from the desert rose.

"Let her take the antidote and get some rest, Gaara I want to talk to you about your adventure to the oasis and what happened to take so long" Kankuro said shooting a quick curious glance towards Hinata before leaving the room. Gaara, Hinata, and Sasuke left the room and closed the door as Naruto was screaming something like "don't leave me here alone with her" making the group chuckle at the irony. The group followed Kankuro to the office where Gaara comfortably sat…before being interrogated by his brother.

"Okay, what happened while I was gone, what took so long, did that Hyuuga girl do anything to you, and-" Gaara started coughing violently as he felt his lungs gasping for air. Hinata without thinking ran over to him and begin to kiss him making it easier to breathe as she filled his lungs with air.

"Thank you Hinata-chan" Gaara said gasping as he once again could breathe. Kankuro and Sasuke watched, jaws dropped, at the scene in front of him.

"So…exactly what kind of feelings do you have for each other?" Kankuro asked staring at his brother who looked at Hinata and smiled and said that was something they needed to discuss. Gaara stared at Kankuro who waited for his brother to continue until he noticed the slight frown on his face.

"ALONE, Kankuro" Gaara emphasized as Kankuro finally got the message and let the office with Sasuke in tow both muttering something about "never finding someone to love" and "Gaara got all the good looks" before the door closed on their comments.

Hinata sweat dropped as she heard the comments cut off with the shut of the door. Hinata then turned to Gaara who was looking at her. They stared at each for a few minutes before they started speaking and stopped laughing as each one tried to talk first. After a few minutes, Hinata explained to Gaara how her feelings had changed over the few days as she grew to know him. Gaara, never knowing what it was like to fall in love with somebody said that there was a lot he didn't understand but was willing to try love. As the two wrapped up their conversation there was a knock on the door in which a Suna medic came in and placed a tea cup full of the antidote in front of Gaara. Leaving the both looked at the cup before Gaara smiled, picked up the cup, and began to drink. After finishing the tea, Gaara looked up at Hinata and smiled seeing that she was taking in the sites of Suna as the sun went down in the darkening sky.

"Hinata-chan…thank you for all you've done for me from helping me find the antidote for Temari to saving my life."

Hinata looked at Gaara, went over to him and gave him a hug saying you welcome as she finally felt like someone cherished her. Sharing a quick kiss they both looked at the door as they sensed something fast coming their way. Hearing screaming they silently smiled as they watched Naruto run into the room before slamming the door shut. Naruto was a sight to see as his shirt had been torn to shreds, bite marks all over his neck and chest, and was breathing heavily with a scared look on his face.

"Temari-chan wanted to see you two and thank Hinata for finding the antidote" Naruto said in between breathes as his heart rate returned back to normal. "Also as a friend…can I ask for your protection in going back because…well."

Gaara and Hinata laughed as the great fox vessel was asking for protection as they followed Naruto back to Temari's room thinking life was great.


	6. Epilogue

Desert Rose-Chapter 11

Epilogue

_*3 months later*_

Three figures made their way towards the gates of Konoha where they spoke to the guards before stepping inside the hidden leaf village. As soon as Temari, Kankuro, and Gaara entered they found two people waiting for their arrivals as they quickly went over to them. Temari greeted Naruto as Hinata jumped straight into Gaara's waiting arms. As Kankuro eased around them clearly forgotten, the two couples smiled and started kissing passionately forgetting the world around them. However the world returned as they heard gasping, whispering, and giggling coming from behind them as they broke apart. The Konoha 11 had appeared hearing the Sand siblings were arriving today in time to catch the ultimate kissing scene between the two.

"Oh wow you wasn't lying Sasuke-kun" Sakura said as she noticed how the couples were holding each other as the rest of the group nodded in agreement.

"So what are you three doing in Konoha, besides the obvious" Sasuke asked as Gaara put Hinata down and looked, not at Sasuke but at Neji.

"I came to see Hinata's father" he said as the group wondered what business he had with the main branch Hyuuga.

"Why?" Neji and Hinata asked at the same time while Gaara pulled out a scroll from his pocket. Neji stood in confusion as Gaara started walking towards him with the scroll and whispered something in his ear. Eyes going wide she stared at Gaara before nodding and running off in the direction of the Hyuuga Manor.

"What was that about?" Hinata asked watching as Gaara smiled and said she would find out soon enough making the group curious to what he told Neji.

"How about we go get lunch?" Naruto said as his stomach grumbled in agreement making everybody laugh saying that he was always hungry. After having lunch the group found their way towards the Hyuuga Manor where they saw Neji waiting outside looking at Gaara. As they approached him Neji told Gaara that Hiashi was waiting inside where he thanked him and went into the main house while Neji was interrogated by Hinata on what Gaara was doing but failing to get any information from him. After about an hour Gaara came back, face expressionless as he continued walking around Konoha with the group as they waited to learn what Gaara had done. Later that evening when everybody but the couples and Kankuro left, Naruto said he needed to talk to Gaara and Kankuro and disappeared before returning after the sun had set. Wondering what the boys were planning the girls shrugged as everybody went to sleep to wait for the next day. The next morning Hinata was called into her father's office where she saw Hiashi, Neji, and Gaara waiting for her as she entered the room. Hiashi smiling told her to sit down as he pulled out some papers… As the Konoha 11 were in the missions room seeing what they were doing today they heard a loud squeal of joy from the distance as Naruto mentally smirked knowing that Hiashi had approved and Hinata had said yes to Gaara's proposal. Later that day, there was a second equal squeal coming from Temari as Naruto proposed to her over a picnic in the park. The two now official couples were at the gates where three kunoichi were crying tears of joy as they saw the rings on the Temari and Hinata's finger.

"So I guess you're going to move to Suna, right?" Sasuke asked a little sad that his friend was leaving Konoha. That is until he noticed the knowing smirk on Naruto's face and a small smile on Gaara's as they shook their heads.

"Nope, we're living in both Konoha and Suna" Naruto said as the group looked at him as if he lost his mind.

"It seems that the biju have a special ability in teleporting between nations in a matter of seconds. The only catch is the nations have to be connecting and since the wind and fire countries are…"

The group was in an uproar of joy and happiness as the couples said that they would be visiting very often. Smiling as Temari jumped on Naruto's back and Hinata on Gaara's sand they made their way back to Suna smiling and joking about finding love in strange places.

"Guys, is it just me or does it feel like we forgot something back in Konoha?" Hinata said getting the feeling something very important was missing.

"Naw, Hinata we got everything we need" Naruto said as the group shrugged it off as nothing before continuing. Back at the Konoha gates, Kankuro was staring at the spot that the two couples were before they left for Suna…without him. Kankuro was at a loss of words as Shino stood next to him looking out at the empty road.

"…I know how you feel" Shino said as they walked off the betrayal of being forgotten flowing through both of them as they went to find Sasuke so he could take him back to Suna.


End file.
